Labour MP Peter Kilfoyle to stand down

Peter Kilfoyle was Tony Blair's leadership campaign manager in 1994

Labour MP Peter Kilfoyle will stand down at the general election, the BBC has learned.

Mr Kilfoyle, who represents Liverpool Walton, served as a defence minister under Tony Blair.

He became an MP in 1991, winning a by-election held after the death of former Labour Party chairman Eric Heffer.

It is believed Mr Kilfoyle, who was Mr Blair's campaign manager to become Labour leader 1994, is standing down for health reasons.

He became a minister after Labour won the 1997 general election, but fell out with the leadership and left government in 1999. He has recently been critical of the party for bringing in "outsiders" to fight seats in Liverpool .

Mr Kilfoyle, who was a Labour Party organiser before entering Parliament, had a majority of 15,957 at the last election, in 2005.

More than 130 MPs are standing down at the next election, expected to take place in May.

Former Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell announced last week that he was quitting Parliament, with former Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon doing the same the previous week.